National University of Mongolia Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science National University of Mongolia Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 PEER Science is a grant program funded by USAID in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). It provides support for researchers in 87 eligible countries worldwide on a wide range of development-related topics Dr. Dalal Najib U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Outline Partners: USAID, NSF, NAS Scope of PEER Science Topics Eligibility Finding an NSF partner Application process First cycle: examples

What is USAID? USAID is the United States’ principal international development agency, devoted to easing suffering, spreading prosperity and increasing security in the developing world. Mission director

USAID works in most of the world Climate Change Water Food Security Biodiversity Global Health Conflicts and Disasters Renewable Energy Education

NSF’s Mission and Role The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…” With an annual budget of ~$6.8 billion (FY 2011), NSF is the funding source for approximately 20% of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.

NSF Programmatic Organization NSF Directorates Biological Sciences (BIO) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Education and Human Resources (EHR) Engineering (ENG) Geosciences (GEO) Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) NSF Office of the Director Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI) Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) Office of Polar Programs (OPP)

U.S. National Academies Constituted of: the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the National Research Council (NRC) Established in 1863 by an Act of Congress Private, non-profit institution, independent scientific body that advises the government on any subject of science Committee members are top-level scientists that volunteer their time and knowledge to address important policy questions The National Academies are implementing the PEER Science program

NSF and USAID: Different Mandates But Mutual Areas of Interest MOU Congressional mandate is scientific research Primary client is the US science community Funding is allocated to US institutions Merit review for research proposals is fundamental Congressional mandate is foreign assistance Primary clients are developing countries Funding flows to foreign partner and/or US institution Bureaus, regions, and missions need buy-in

Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science PEER Science is a USAID-funded competitive grants program that invites developing country scientists to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators on topics of importance to USAID (e.g., water, climate, biodiversity, disaster mitigation, renewable energy). Model for how PEER works. NSF funds U.S. scientist; developing country collaborator applies to PEER for funding.

Benefits of PEER U.S. Science Development Building capacity Inclusive international research community Science diplomacy Development objectives Informs policy & practices Data for evidence-based programs New technologies Global scope & International collaborations Effectiveness Access to local knowledge Access to resources Facilities Unique ecosystems Geological formations Hydrological regimes

PEER Science Topics

Food Security Agricultural development Fisheries Plant genomics

Climate Change Impacts Water sustainability Hydrology Ocean acidification Climate process and modeling Environmental engineering

Other Development Topics Renewable energy Disaster mitigation Water Biodiversity

PEER Science: Eligibility Developing country PIs must be: Affiliated with and based at an NGO, academic, or government-managed research institution Partnering with an NSF-funded U.S. researcher who is a PI (not a co-PI) on an active NSF award We encourage proposals involving multiple institutions and/or regional collaboration between eligible countries

Finding a U.S. Partner Existing collaboration: Does your US contact have an NSF grant? Does your US contact work closely with an NSF grantee? New collaboration: Use the NSF database www.nsf.gov/awardsearch NSF database

How to apply? Online application Do your homework: make sure your topic fits USAID priorities Find an NSF funded partner Prepare your application in a word document in advance Prepare your attachments ( getting signatures takes time) Submit by the deadline NSF database

PEER Science Award: Deadline: December 4th, 2012 Decision in May 2013 Single institution awards: from $30,000 to $60,000 per year Multiple institutions and/or countries: up to $110,000 per year Deadline: December 4th, 2012 Decision in May 2013

PEER Science Cycle 1: Awards by Region Nearly 500 applications from 63 developing countries 42 projects from 25 countries were selected based on scientific merit projected development impact prospects for strength of collaboration between developing country scientists and their American counterparts. Project duration ranges from 1 to 3 years 11 involved female PI (27%) Budgets from $27,000 to $325,000 USAID’s share is $4.8 million dollars of investment in S&T for development, leveraging over $46 million of NSF-funded research

PEER Science Cycle 1: Awards by Subject Example of grants in social sciences

Examples of successful proposals Developing translation software to convert spoken Arabic to Moroccan sign language Studying marine biodiversity in Indonesia and the Philippines Assessing landslide risk in Lebanon Analyzing climate change impacts in Colombia and Ecuador Addressing drinking water quality in Kenya Big questions at the intersections of science and development: Studies of environmental change in Sri Lanka and Peru Modeling geo-hazards in Bangladesh and the Caucuses Soil conservation and water retention in Ethiopia “We recognize that the best ideas come from shared collaboration where both sides can learn from each other”

Useful contact information PEER Science : peer@nas.edu USAID Mongolia: Ms. Alyson McFarland amcfarland@usaid.gov More questions: dnajib@nas.edu Visit our PEER website: www.nationalacademies.org/peerscience